The Canada into which Contemporary Ghazals No. 1 was published in the summer of 2003 was not exactly a hospitable one. The Canadian literary scene of the day was simply out of sync with editor R. W. Watkins's higher technical standards and international poetic perspective. Too formal and intellectual for the artsy 'hipster' division of Generation X (represented by such publications as Broken Pencil and This Magazine); too exotic and 'indie' for the academics and writers' organisations (e.g., The League of Canadian Poets), who-in the words of Watkins--merely take solace in each other's mediocrity-, the magazine failed to attract contributors or readers in its native country-even among members of the (supposedly) more Eastern-attuned haiku community. Fortunately, the publication managed to get a foot in the door south of the border, where Kashmiri-born poet Agha Shahid Ali (1949-2001) had stirred up enough interest in the ghazal to warrant compiling and editing the Ravishing DisUnities anthology a few years earlier (Watkins was the only Canadian included in said book). Despite a series of delays that prevented the third issue from being published in a timely manner-owing largely to a move away from 'zine' culture and subsequent adjustments to a digital environment-Contemporary Ghazals continued to build a following in the US (and abroad) up until its discontinuation in 2016, when Watkins chose to replace it with Eastern Structures, a magazine more inclusive of various other Asian poetic forms. Drawing on material from the first three issues, this 'concise Contemporary Ghazals collection' features modern examples of the ancient Asian form by such accomplished and regular practitioners as Steffen Horstmann, Denver Butson, Barbara Little, the recently deceased I. H. Rizvi, and Watkins himself. This sampler is actually the first in a series of slated CG-related archival publications from Nocturnal Iris, so watch this space....

Consisting primarily of expanded or revised versions, 'vault' material and "stray bastards", the 'posthumous' Contemporary Ghazals No. 7 (in the words of magazine founder and original editor R. W. Watkins) "represents the furthest one can take the ghazal form while still preserving the fundamental dynamics of its structure, if not always some semblance of its basic self". Hence the inclusion of such cutting-edge and often lengthy treatments of the form at the hands of such seasoned practitioners as Steffen Horstmann, Mike Alexander, David Raphael Israel and R. W. Watkins himself. Other familiar names found in this issue include Denver Butson, William Dennis, Barbara Little, Daniel Hales, Bill West and Red Slider. There is even a 'cut-up' of Agha Shahid Ali (1949-2001) ghazals as assembled and embellished by Watkins and Eugene Melino. The groundbreaking Contemporary Ghazals was discontinued as a regular publication in 2016, when Watkins chose to replace it with Eastern Structures, a magazine more inclusive of various other Asian poetic forms. But this double-length special issue-the second in a series of CG-related archival publications from Nocturnal Iris-is a not-so-subtle reminder of the earlier mag's devotion to form and a testament to its continued appeal.

Editor R. W. Watkins presents the fifth issue of Contemporary Ghazals--the world's first English-language journal dedicated to the classical style of Asian poetry that lends it its title. No. 5 features ghazals by Steffen Horstmann, Denver Butson, John Philip Drury, Mike Alexander, Eugene A. Melino, Daniel Hales, William Dennis, Linda Umans, Leland Jamieson, and Watkins himself. It also contains Watkins's review of Tears of Blood: Selected Verses of Ghalib -- a 2014 volume of ghazals by the legendary 19th century Indian poet, translated from the Urdu by Sunil Uniyal. A selection from this volume is reprinted in the 'Classic Revisited' section. Contemporary Ghazals No. 6 is scheduled to appear in the winter of 2015-16. Print copies of Nos. 1 and 2 are still available from editor Watkins.

From the pages of his 'indie' literary magazine comes editor R. W. Watkins's Contemporary Ghazals: An Anthology. This volume collects the best poems from the rarely published yet groundbreaking journal dedicated to the classic Arabic and Persian form that lends it its title.This book also reflects the development of the English-language ghazal in general since the turn of the 21st century, for its pages are populated almost exclusively by regular practitioners of the form in English. As Watkins points out in the introduction, the majority of regular practitioners have been published at some time or another in an issue of Contemporary Ghazals. This is what distinguishes this collection from the first English-language ghazals anthology, Agha Shahid Ali's Ravishing DisUnities (2000), which was comprised largely of then-novices and 'name poets' who dabbled.Thus one shall find in this anthology the ghazals of such prominent poets as I. H. Rizvi of India and the late Kashmiri-American Agha Shahid Ali. Alongside their work can be found that of such longtime U.S. practitioners as William Dennis, Denver Butson, Steffen Horstmann and Barbara Little. Also to be found is the work of relative newcomers like Vivek Sharma and Nicola Masciandaro, who have established themselves as 'contenders' in just a short while. As well, Canadian editor Watkins himself is represented by some of the more experimental ghazals in the anthology. The result is a collection that can most definitely stand as the form's canon in English.

Editor R. W. Watkins presents the long-awaited third issue of Contemporary Ghazals--the world's first English-language journal dedicated to the classical style of Asian poetry that lends it its title. No. 3 features ghazals by Vivek Sharma, Denver Butson, Marcyn Del Clements, Ann Keith, I. H. Rizvi, Nicola Masciandaro, William Dennis, Steffen Horstmann, Bill West and Watkins himself. It also contains Watkins's lengthy review of The Rebel's Silhouette--a 1995 collection of ghazals and other poems by the legendary Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984), translated from the Urdu by the late Agha Shahid Ali. A selection from this volume is reprinted in the 'Classic Revisited' section.

"Ali's ghazals are contemporary and colloquial, deceptively simple, yet still grounded in tradition....Highly recommended."—Library Journal The beloved Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali presents his own American ghazals. Calling on a line or phrase from fellow poets, Ali salutes those known and loved—W. S. Merwin, Mark Strand, James Tate, and more—while in other searingly honest verse he courageously faces his own mortality.

Focusing on the Maijbhandari movement in Chittagong, south-eastern Bangladesh, which claims the status of the only Sufi order originated in Bengal and which has gained immense popularity in recent years, this book provides a comprehensive picture of an important aspect of contemporary Bengali Islam in the South Asian context. Expertise in South Asian languages and literatures is combined with ethnographic field work and theoretical formulations from a range of disciplines, including cultural anthropology, Islamic studies and religious studies. Analysing the Maijbhandaris tradition of Bengali spiritual songs, one of the largest popular song traditions in Bengal, the book presents an in-depth study of Bengali Sufi theology, hagiography and Maijbhandari esoteric songs, as well as a discussion of what Bengali Islam is. It is a useful contribution to South Asia Studies, as well as Islamic Studies.